Voters in Panama have elected former security minister José Raúl Mulino as their new president.

Mr Mulino stepped into the presidential race late after his running mate Ricardo Martinelli was disqualified for a money laundering conviction.

The 64-year-old campaigned on a promise to “close” the Darién Gap, a stretch of jungle crossed yearly by hundreds of thousands of migrants.

After his victory he vowed he was “no-one’s puppet”.

He originally ran for vice-president, and despite joining the presidential race late and not taking part in any of the televised presidential debates, Mr Murillo, a conservative, had enjoyed a convincing lead in the opinion polls.

With the preliminary count at more than 90%, Mr Mulino had 34% of the share, followed by anti-corruption candidate Ricardo Lombana at almost 25%. Mr Lombana has conceded defeat.

Former President Martín Torrijos trailed with 16% of the vote, followed by lawyer Rómulo Roux at 11%. The remaining four candidates had less than 10% of the votes.

Mr Mulino is thought to have been propelled to victory by voters who hope the country will return to the economic boom it experienced when Ricardo Martinelli was president from 2009 to 2014.

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